Billions of dollars of fraudulent tax refunds are paid out every tax year. This not only puts a strain on government's ability to provide services, but it also erodes public trust in our country's tax system. With the increased reliance on electronic filing of tax returns comes an increase of the efficiency of tax operations and overall convenience. However, this has also contributed to a rise in identity theft and unwarranted or fraudulent tax refunds. Stealing identities and filing for tax refunds has become one of the fastest growing non-violent criminal activities in the country, often resulting in significant returns for the fraudster.